New Hope's Blog

                                    DAY 40 Read: Job 1:1-9 My faith in God is not dependent on what I get from Him nor does it have any ulterior motive. It is not directed by what He chooses to withhold from me. It is irrespective of the way my prayers are answered. Worshiping Him, enjoying His presence in my life and   celebrat ing His love for me is far greater than anything else. Job 1:9 says:  “ Satan answered the Lord, Does Job fear God for nothing? In the book of Job, we find an interesting dialogue about Job between God and Satan. Satan insinuates that Job loves God because of all the blessings God has given him. That is the reason he worships God. God states that even if all the blessings are taken away, Job will still worship Him. In our present situation, with the challenges we are facing, God calls us to worship Him, continue to love Him. Even though earthly blessings seem to b...

                                   DAY 39 Read: Proverbs 19:21-23 Proverbs 19:23 says (Message Bible):  “ The fear of God is life itself, a full life and serene, no nasty surprises”. The fear of God leads to life. In the NASB it says,  “ The fear of the Lord leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, and untouched by evil”. When I truly love God, obey Him, turning away from everything that is unholy and ungodly, seeking His favour, I will see problems in the right perspective. I will not be overcome by fear rather the fear of the Lord will reduce the circumstances to its right proportion. Difficulties will come but God will see you through. There will be many checks, but you will not be checkmated.  “ You will sleep satisfied” implies you are not stressed, nor anxious, not worried nor afraid, not disturbed. The fear of God liberates us from all other fear. The fear of people, of...

                                  DAY 38 Read: Job 17:1-9 Job 17:9 says:   “ Nevertheless the righteous will hold to his way and he who has clean hands will grow stronger”. In spite of, in the midst of, even though, irrespective of the circumstances, nevertheless, believe God is in control ! The way the Lord has led and guided us, the way the Lord has kept us in the situation we are in right now is His divine working in our lives. As we face trials, God assures us of His strength, trusting in Him, we move from strength to strength. These challenging situations may be financial constraints, difficult relationships, job loss, health issues but God will strengthen us. He says, I will give you strength upon strength. Today’s strength will be more than yesterday’s, and tomorrow’s strength will be greater than today’s. This is God’s promise for you.  “Clean hands” here refers to how we work, and the...

                                 DAY 37 Read: Proverbs 15:29-30 Proverbs 15:30 (Message Bible) says,  “ A twinkle in the eye means joy in the heart and good news makes you feel fit as a fiddle”. As we are soaked in goodness, count your blessings and celebrate God’s love and grace in your life, it brings a twinkle in your eyes. As we count our blessings, we celebrate God’s goodness in our lives. The forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life are tremendous blessings to be thankful for. Recognizing and acknowledging God’s faithfulness fills our heart with joy and brings a sparkle in our eyes. A.W. Tozer said,  “ Christian s have every right to be the happiest people in the world!” When we have put our trust in God, in the midst of trouble, we see grace, provision and the peace of God to carry us through the difficulty. We never need to give up because God is greater than any challenge that...

                                DAY 36 Read: Proverbs 4:18-23 Proverbs 3:1 says:  “ My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity”. God calls us to live a life of quality. An abundant life, a full life, a whole life is available for us in Jesus, a life of joy and exuberance. www.newhopetv.org Psalm 119:11 says:  “ I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You” . Store God ’s word in your heart. It directs your mind to obedience; listen to God’s word which leads to prosperity and length of days. Proverbs 3:1 (Message Bible) says:  “ Good friend, don’t forget all that I have taught you; take to heart my commands. They’ll help you live a long long time; a long life lived full and well”.  We live in a world that is heartless; it only offers pleasures that are fleeting and moment...

                               DAY 35 Read: Genesis 50:15-21 Joseph looked out for the needs of others and ministered to them. He moved the focus from himself to others. Though he faced immense challenges, it was necessary, as God required him to be in Egypt to save, not just his own people but many civilizations from the famine. It is fascinating to see how beautifully God works out His plan through Joseph’s trials. Everything was engineered in such a way that Joseph was in Egypt at the right time. Joseph realized that many of the situations he went through did not make sense, but he saw that there was a bigger plan that was unfolding. In Genesis 50:20 he says to his brothers, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. In our deepest suffering , even when we cannot make sense of our circumstances, may we realize that the Lord has an amazing plan for our life and may we, with complete trust, say we ar...

                              DAY 34 Read: Genesis 40:1-8 Another important virtue we see in Joseph is his concern for the people around him. In Genesis 40:6, the cupbearer and baker are in prison and are dejected. Joseph asks them the reason and is led to help them. Though Joseph himself had enough problems of his own: being sold by his brothers, falsely accused, put in prison, he still chose to think of others. Look out for people who are suffering, it makes our dark periods lighter, it helps to shift the focus from ourselves to others. It makes us think less about ourselves and more about the needs of others. As Paul exhorts us, we need to look out for the interests of others. As we see in Job 42:10, God waited, as Job moved from his suffering to interceding and then to restoration.          As the renowned cardiologist, professional educator and author Dr. B.M. Hegde says that  “...